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| Royal Air Force Receives 30 F-35B Fighter Jets From Lockheed Martin |
International Military - The Royal Air Force (RAF) has received 30 F-35B jets from Lockheed Martin. Of that number, one plane crashed into the sea and three planes are in the United States, used to train RAF pilots. Thus, currently the RAF operates 26 F-35Bs in operational service.
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To note, although the F-35B is a jet variant designed for the US Marine Corps, the RAF selected this variant to operate on the aircraft carriers of the Royal Navy (Royal Navy).
The plan is for the RAF to be equipped with up to 48 F-35s by the end of 2025 (to 47 after one plane crashed). In the next year, seven more F-35Bs will come to complement the RAF. After the number of 47 units is reached, the British Ministry of Defense plans to buy another fighter jet.
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Meanwhile, the UK is also developing a sixth-generation fighter jet, the Tempest. This aircraft was developed by BAE Systems together with Saab (Sweden) and Leonardo (Italy). It is planned that the Tempest jet will be operational starting in 2040 to replace the RAF's Eurofighter Typhoon fleet.